Washing machine with drum that rotates in two dimensions

ABSTRACT

A washing machine includes a drum configured to rotate around a first axis to wash items contained therein, and a motor configured to rotate the drum around a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis, such that the drum is rotated by the second motor between a first rotational position and a second rotational position different from the first rotational position, the first rotational position for washing and the second rotational position for loading and unloading the items from the drum.

FIELD

The disclosed embodiments relate to a washing machine and correspondingmethod. In particular, the disclosed embodiments relate to a washingmachine having a drum that is rotated around a first axis to wash itemsin the drum, and rotates the drum around a second axis different fromthe first axis to position the drum in either a washing position or aloading/unloading position.

BACKGROUND

Washing machines are typically configured as either a front-loadingwashing machine or a top-loading washing machine. A top-loading washingmachine may present problems with placement, such as when the machine isplaced under a shelf or counter, such that opening the lid can be aproblem. A further issue with top-loading machines can be reachingclothes at the bottom of the drum, especially for people of shorterheight.

Top-loading washing machines often include an agitator or impeller tomove the clothes around the drum. These actions are not as affective dueto gravity keeping the clothing on the bottom and makes it difficult forthe washer to thoroughly move the clothing around. Also as it states inthe user manual in washers with impeller wash system, it is recommendedfor the clothing to be lightly put around the basket for bestperformance. The agitator or impeller uses mechanical action to cleanthe clothes, which can be tough on the fabrics. Moreover, top-loadwashers generally require a lot more water and energy to complete acycle versus front-load washers because they fill the tub and floatclothes in a detergent filled solution, versus moving the clothesthrough that solution in front-loading machines.

Front-loading washing machines do not use agitators, but instead mayhave vanes that help tumble the clothes around inside the drum.Front-loading washing machines can also outperform top-loading machinesin cleaning while treating the clothes more gently. A typicalfront-loading washer also has a rubber seal that attaches the drum tothe frame which can cause mold over time due to the collection ofleftover water inside the seal's channel.

Accordingly, a washing machine that provides the efficiency and cleaningbenefits of a front-loader and does not require as much bending toremove clothes as a top-loading washing machine is desired. With thedoor directly attached to the drum, a channel between the frame and thedrum is omitted and subsequently prevents the chance of mold and mildewforming in the seal.

SUMMARY

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a washing machine having a drum.The washing machine includes the drum configured to rotate around afirst axis to wash items contained therein, and a motor configured torotate the drum around a second axis substantially perpendicular to thefirst axis, such that the drum is rotated by the second motor between afirst rotational position and a second rotational position differentfrom the first rotational position, the first rotational position forwashing and the second rotational position for loading and unloading theitems from the drum.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed embodimentsover the prior art will become apparent from the detailed description ofthe drawings which follows, when considered with the attached figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of a washing machine inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front perspective view of a washing machine.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a washing machine.

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear view of a washing machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a more thorough description of the present invention.It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known features have not been described in detailso as not to obscure the invention.

According to an exemplary embodiment a washing machine comprises abasket or drum to hold clothes being washed. The drum is configured tobe positioned in a substantially horizontal “front-loading” positionwhen washing, with the drum being rotated around a substantiallyhorizontally positioned axis to perform washing. This allows the washingmachine to enjoy all of the washing advantages of a front-load washer.The washing machine is configured to rotate the drum around a secondaxis out of the substantially horizontal front-loading position to oneor more non-horizontal position for loading and unloading of items intoand out of the drum.

FIG. 1 illustrates a front perspective view of the washing machine 100in a closed position. The washing machine is configured to wash itemssuch as clothes. The washing machine 100 includes a front outer door 104for accessing the interior of the washing machine, with a handle 106 ona front 102. A control panel 108 may be used to control the washingmachine. The control panel 108 may be a digital panel, such as a touchscreen digital panel, allowing a user to input various commands to thewashing machine 100, such as speed, temperature, various cycles,positioning of the drum, etc. Embodiments may include any kind of inputdevices instead of or in addition to the control panel 108, such as pushbuttons, knobs, dials, etc. The washing machine 100 could also beremotely controlled, such as from an application running on acomputerized device or a dedicated remote-control device.

The washing machine 100 may be any size. In one embodiment, the washingmachine may have a width “a” of 27 inches, a depth “b” of 30 inches, anda height “c” of 40 inches.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the washing machine 100 that showsinternal components. The washing machine 100 includes a frame 109 fromwhich a drum 110 is suspended for holding items such as clothes to bewashed. In FIG. 2, the drum 110 is positioned in a substantiallyhorizontal position which is used when the drum 110 is rotated to washitems therein in an orientation similar to a typical front-loadingwashing machine.

The drum 110 has an inner door 112 allowing access to an interior of thedrum 110. A motor 118 is configured to rotate the drum 110 about an axis120 when the items in the drum 110 are being washed. The inner door 112may be connected to the drum 110 by a first hinge 114.

The drum 110 is suspended within the frame 109 by springs 122 connectedat one end to the frame 109 at various frame connection points andconnected at a second end to suspension mount 124. The suspension mount124 has a motor 126 connected at a center thereof. The motor 126 has arotor that rotates about a second axis 127. The second axis 127 may besubstantially perpendicular to the axis 120. A plurality of drum motormounts 128 are connected between the motor 126 and the drum 110. Fourdrum motor mounts 128 are illustrated, although a different number ofdrum motor mounts 128 could be used.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the washing machine 100 with the drum110 rotated to a non-horizontal position, in which the axis 120 ispositioned non-horizontally. The drum 110 may be rotated by the motor126 when a user so indicates such as by input at the control panel 108,which may be done under control of a controller. Alternatively, themotor 126 may be configured to automatically rotate the drum 110 to anunloading position such as illustrated in FIG. 3 when washing iscompleted.

The motor 126 may be a direct drive motor, although other types ofmotors may be used. A rotor in the motor 126 rotates, while otherportions of the motor 126 do not rotate. The suspension mount 124 andthe springs 122 also do not rotate. When the rotor rotates, since therotor is connected to the drum motor mounts 128, the drum motor mounts128 also rotate, causing the drum 110 to rotate, such as from theposition shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3.

In preferred embodiments, the motor 126 is used to rotate the drum 110to any number of positions. For example, the motor 126 may rotate thedrum 110 between the substantially horizontal position as shown in FIG.2 for washing to a non-horizontal position as shown in FIG. 3 when notwashing, or to other non-horizontal positions. The non-horizontalposition as shown in FIG. 3 may be used for loading/unloading items fromthe drum 110, for example, although other loading/unloading positionscould be used. For example, the loading/unloading position could be aposition in which the axis 120 is in a substantially vertical position,such as in a traditional top-loading washing machine, or anywherebetween the substantially horizontal and substantially verticalpositions.

During washing, the drum 110 may be positioned to be in thesubstantially horizontal position as shown in FIG. 2, with the axis 120around which the drum 110 rotates being in a substantially horizontalposition. During washing, the drum 110 may be configured to rotate aboutaxis 120 under control of motor 118. In one embodiment, during washing,the drum 110 is not rotated by motor 126 out of the substantiallyhorizontal position but is only rotated by motor 118 around axis 120. Inother embodiments, the drum 110 may be rotated by motor 118 around axis120 and at the same time may be rotated back and forth in oppositedirections a relatively small amount by motor 126 out of thesubstantially horizontal position around axis 127 to improve agitationduring washing. For example, the motor 126 could rotate the drum 110 by5 degrees in each direction during washing, although other amounts ofrotation may also be used.

Before and after washing, the drum 110 may be rotated to anon-horizontal position such as illustrated in 3. This position is usedfor loading and unloading of items from the drum 110. In a preferredembodiment, the motor 118 may be controlled to rotate the drum 110 to aposition where the axis 120 is positioned about 58.8 degrees from thesubstantially horizontal position of FIG. 2, although other amounts ofrotation could be used. In one embodiment, when the drum 110 is rotatedby motor 126 to a non-horizontal position such as illustrated in FIG. 3,the motor 118 is not being used to rotate the drum 110 about the axis120.

During rotation of the drum about the axis 120 by motor 118 or rotationof the drum about axis 127 by motor 126, the drum 110 is suspendedwithin the frame 109 by the suspension mount 124 and the springs 122connected to the frame 109. The size and shape of the frame 109 areselected such that the drum 110 will not contact side of the frame 109when the drum 110 is rotated.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the washing machine 100 with the drum110 rotated to a non-horizontal position. This position is used forloading and unloading of items from the drum 110 of the washing machine100.

The outer door 104 and the inner door 112 are shown in open positions inFIG. 4, allowing access to an inner portion of the drum 110. The outerdoor 104 includes a first hinge 103 which may be disposed to be incontact with the frame 109, and a second hinge 105. The first hinge 103is configured to allow the outer door 104 to be opened, while the secondhinge 105 is configured to allow the outer door 104 to fold in half,thus reducing an amount of space that is needed above the frame 109 ofthe washing machine 100 to open the outer door 104.

The inner door 112 includes a first hinge 114 connected to the drum 110and a second hinge 116 disposed partway along the inner door 112. Theportion 111 of the inner door 112 disposed between the first hinge 114and the second hinge 116 is configured to pivot approximately 90 degreesaround hinge 114 between a closed position as shown in FIG. 2 and anopen position as shown in FIG. 3, where an outer surface of portion 111is positioned to be substantially parallel to axis 120. The remainingportion 113 of inner door 112 is configured to pivot about hinge 116 toan upright position. When closed, the inner door 112 and the outer door104 are configured to be held in position through the use of tabs orother conventional means.

The various embodiments of the washing machine described herein providea washing machine that has advantages over conventional washingmachines. The washing machine 100 is positioned in a substantiallyhorizontal position for washing, providing all the washing benefits of aconventional front-loading washing machine. Additionally, the washingmachine 100 is configured to rotate the drum to a non-horizontalposition for easier loading/unloading of items from the drum. In someembodiments, the loading/unloading position may be between thesubstantially horizontal position used for washing and a substantiallyvertical position, which may provide an improved position forloading/unloading items from the drum as compared to a conventionaltop-loading machine or a conventional front-loading machine.

The configuration of the inner and outer doors that allow access to thedrum may also provide advantages. As explained herein, by providing twohinges on the outer door 104, the outer door is configured to requireless space above the washing machine. Additionally, the two hingesprovided on the inner door 112 allow the inner door to be poisoned in asubstantially horizontal open position even when the drum is positionedat a non-horizontal angle.

It will be appreciated that the washing machine 100 illustrated in thefigures is only exemplary of the specific illustrated embodiments andthat various modifications could be made. For example, embodiments ofthe washing machine 100 may be provided with various other features notshown herein.

It will be understood that the above described arrangements of apparatusand the method there from are merely illustrative of applications of theprinciples of this invention and many other embodiments andmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A washing machine comprising: a drum configuredto hold items to be washed; a first motor configured to rotate the drumaround a first axis during washing of the items; and a second motorconfigured to rotate the drum around a second axis different from thefirst axis, such that the drum is rotated by the second motor between afirst rotational position and a second rotational position differentfrom the first rotational position, the first rotational position forwashing and the second rotational position for loading and unloading theitems from the drum.
 2. The washing machine according to claim 1,wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the firstaxis.
 3. The washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the firstrotational position is a position where the first axis is substantiallyhorizontal and the second rotational position is a position where thefirst axis is non-horizontal.
 4. The washing machine according to claim1, wherein the second motor is configured to rotate the drum back andforth around the second axis during washing of items in the drum.
 5. Thewashing machine according to claim 1, further comprising an outer frameconfigured to hold the drum.
 6. The washing machine according to claim5, further comprising a suspension mount configured to hold the secondmotor, the suspension mount being connected to the frame, and the secondmotor being connected to the drum.
 7. The washing machine according toclaim 6, further comprising a plurality of springs that connect thesuspension mount to the frame at a plurality of connection points. 8.The washing machine according to claim 1, further comprising an innerdoor connected to the drum, wherein the inner door comprises a firstportion connected to the drum by a first hinge and a second portionconnected to the first portion by a second hinge.
 9. The washing machineaccording to claim 5, further comprising an outer door connected to theouter frame of the washing machine by a frame hinge, the outer doorfurther including an outer door hinge positioned along a length of theouter door allowing a portion of the outer door to be folded.
 10. Thewashing machine according to claim 1, wherein an alignment of the firstaxis is about 58.8 degrees different in the first rotational positionthan in the second rotational position.
 11. A washing machinecomprising: a drum configured to rotate around a first axis to washitems contained therein; and a motor configured to rotate the drumaround a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis, suchthat the drum is rotated by the second motor between a first rotationalposition and a second rotational position different from the firstrotational position, the first rotational position for washing and thesecond rotational position for loading and unloading the items from thedrum.
 12. The washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the firstrotational position is a position where the first axis is substantiallyhorizontal and the second rotational position is a position where thefirst axis is non-horizontal.
 13. The washing machine according to claim11, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the drum back and fortharound the second axis during washing of items in the drum.
 14. Thewashing machine according to claim 11, further comprising an outer frameconfigured to hold the drum.
 15. The washing machine according to claim11, further comprising a drum motor configured to rotate the drum aboutthe first axis during washing, and a suspension mount configured to holdthe motor, the suspension mount being connected to the frame, and themotor being connected to the drum.
 16. The washing machine according toclaim 15, further comprising a plurality of springs that connect thesuspension mount to the frame at a plurality of connection points. 17.The washing machine according to claim 16, further comprising an innerdoor connected to the drum.
 18. The washing machine according to claim17, wherein the inner door comprises a first portion connected to thedrum by a first hinge and a second portion connected to the firstportion by a second hinge.
 19. The washing machine according to claim18, wherein an alignment of the first axis is about 58.8 degreesdifferent in the first rotational position than in the second rotationalposition.
 20. The washing machine according to claim 14, furthercomprising an outer door connected to the outer frame of the washingmachine by a frame hinge, the outer door further including an outer doorhinge positioned along a length of the outer door allowing a portion ofthe outer door to be folded.